Job Discussion Forums

[Joese]

I have been offered a job at a training school in China. Does anyone know what it is like working at one? The good, the bad?

I used to work at a university in China. I liked the low hours, not being supervised by anyone, doing what I want in class, and the generous vacation time. The only bad thing was the meager salary.

[3701 W.119th]

You've really answered your own question.

[Joese]

You're right.

Besides the higher salary, I was hoping there would be more redeeming factors I don't know about.

[GreatApe]

Okay, I'll "bite."

In answer to the OP's last post above, let me say that --perhaps contrary to what many people here think and feel, and despite having a bad experience or two at training centers in the past-- I DO think there are some "redeeming qualities" about working at a training center.

It ALL depends on 1) the quality of the training center, and 2) what you're looking for in a teaching career/job/opportunity.

I currently work with a training center that "farms me out" to an International School (where I do the bulk of my teaching and where I serve as the DOIS) and a university (where I teach 3 classes two times each week). I only teach one class at the training center itself each week, and I DO NOT teach primary school or kindergarten classes.

I get paid very well for the job I do, and I don't mind being the "gopher" (or go-fer) who has to commute all over a relatively small 2nd to 3rd tier city. In fact, I enjoy going to different places and teaching different levels of classes and students. It makes life interesting and I draw a salary from each of the schools I work for, so it's a pretty good gig.

I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but I like it a lot and am as happy as I've ever been teaching in China (albeit I'm only 5 years into my teaching career here).

It took me a long, long time to find this job and make it what I wanted it to be, but I have a high degree of responsibility, a good deal of stress, but along with that a lot of lee-way in the curriculum I teach and the schedule that I work.

Honestly, I don't have to report to very many people very often, and that's yet another thing that I love about my work. They give me the schedule and pretty much let me do what I do.

(I'll edit this and add more later, but I'm off to class right now).

--GA

[dblkhqc]

[rogerwilco]

[Joese]

[Joese]

[water rat]

[Lack]

I worked at a training school. It ended up all right for the most part, but a lot of aspects sucked, too.

The good points included higher salary, and...that's about it.

On the bad side, I had one particularly horrible coworker. And getting farmed out to other schools and marketing events is stupid as well. And having your teaching criticized by those who have no qualifications and have never been in a classroom as a teacher.

So despite bad aspects, I would say that is the absolute worst. These schools are not really schools - they are businesses. So teaching and learning don't matter - it's all about putting on a good dog and pony show that makes the parents pay money for more classes. And that means these "schools" will usually brow-beat those who know what they are doing and praise handsome morons that haven't the first clue about teaching.

[Listerine]

Positives for me would be slightly higher pay, and often later starts. This getting up at 7am business is for the dogs.
I'm already married so the idea of working on weekends doesn't bother me as long as I still get the couple of days off a week.
I spent enough time in the Korean hagwon system to understand the "Business first~education second" rule. Once you get your head around that it can be bearable. As long as you keep the little darlings smiling.....
Having been said in China I still vastly prefer the idea of university as the main job supplemented by either private students or part-time training school, if for any reason other than if the side jobs give you the heebie-jeebies you can bail easily enough unlike if your visa is tied to them.